I was very fortunate as a student to have a lot of resources available to me. I could always borrow my teacher's snare drum or mallets, and I didn't have to purchase much of anything starting out. However, it was always on my mind, and I began making lists of things I thought I'd need for not only auditions, but things I could use all the time. I wanted to give one of those lists here, just to get people started and to give an idea of things you should invest in now with certainty. If I only had this list of items, I would be perfectly capable of doing my job at the CPO, taking an audition, attending school, etc.